Toma Yamazaki, President and CEO, e-dash Co., Ltd.

In this era of rapid change and the rise of AI, we pursue providing essential value to society with "high aspirations."

Toma Yamasaki, President and CEO of e-dash Co., Ltd.

■ Profile
After joining Mitsui & Co., Ltd., I was mainly in charge of new project development and M&A in infrastructure businesses such as power generation.
In 2015, he was stationed in Silicon Valley, USA, where he was responsible for venture investment and business development in clean tech fields such as energy and mobility. After returning to Japan, he planned and developed the e-dash business, and in 2022, he was appointed President and CEO of e-dash Co., Ltd. upon its establishment.

e-dash, a company aiming to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, collaborates with over 220 partners to provide comprehensive support for decarbonization management to thousands of companies. We spoke with CEO Toma Yamazaki about the background behind the current management policy, his career, the company's appeal, his passion for his work, and his future outlook.

Looking back, the first thing that comes to mind about my time as a university student is the hardship. That's because the Department of Architecture in the Faculty of Science and Engineering at Waseda University, where I was enrolled at the time, was notoriously demanding, and being overwhelmed with design work and assignments was a daily occurrence. I couldn't even find enough time to dedicate to a part-time job, and I only managed to do a little tutoring in my spare time. That said, I did enjoy myself in moderation, playing mahjong with friends and going on trips.
However, through the challenges I tackled during that period, I learned the process of "thinking about things from various angles" and "creating and destroying, creating and destroying until I've thoroughly considered everything," and I feel that these skills are still relevant to my current work style.
During my student years, I wasn't always particularly interested in energy or the environment. However, having lived in France from middle school through high school, I was interested in beautiful cityscapes and urban planning. I majored in architectural history at university and spent an extended period in Cambodia, where I witnessed firsthand the lack of infrastructure, which sparked my interest in energy.

■From the world of research to the business world

Upon graduation, I considered a career as a researcher, but I struggled with the question of whether research could truly benefit society. Ultimately, I chose to enter the workforce and joined Mitsui & Co. In the early stages of my career, I was involved in the development and construction of the international cargo terminal at Haneda Airport and large-scale power plants in the Middle East and Africa.

■ A massive project worth hundreds of billions of yen

Of all the projects in my career at that time, the one that remains most memorable to me is the power plant construction project in Morocco. This was a massive project with a total budget of several hundred billion yen, a truly grand challenge of "building infrastructure from scratch." After repeated tough negotiations with the local government and various stakeholders, and overcoming each challenge one by one, it took three years from the time I took charge to finally conclude the contract. I will never forget the emotion and sense of accomplishment that I shared with the entire team at the party that day.

■Awareness of challenges in the energy and heat sector in Silicon Valley

After completing a project in Morocco, I moved to Silicon Valley in the United States, a new frontier for me. My mission there was to deeply engage with cutting-edge clean tech startups and promote collaboration and business development. By immersing myself in the next-generation clean energy field, including hydrogen energy and EVs (electric vehicles), I experienced firsthand the major global trends.
Silicon Valley was brimming with the passion and determination of entrepreneurs and sharp venture capitalists who believed they could change the world. Experiencing that energy, which I couldn't feel in Japan, and interacting with many startups, helped me develop my own ideas and aspirations for energy transformation, such as expanding the use of renewable energy. I felt that with the help of technological advancements, it would be possible to generate energy ourselves, store it efficiently, and use it wisely. Those five years in Silicon Valley were the biggest impetus for later launching "e-dash."

■ Launching "e-dash" and pursuing essential value

After returning to Japan, I launched e-dash as a new business at Mitsui & Co., and incorporated it as a company in 2022. Since the Japanese government declared "carbon neutrality by 2050" in October 2020, there has been a gradual spread of the irreversible trend that companies must shift towards decarbonization management. e-dash works every day with the aim of "accelerating decarbonization" by supporting companies that are taking such initiatives. Of course, I had anxieties about getting the business on track and about starting a company. There were many difficult times, but what motivated me was a strong sense of mission that "I must somehow create a system to solve this social problem."
While there are other companies in the same industry as e-dash, the biggest difference between us and them lies in our support approach, which does not rely solely on technology. Technological advancements, including AI, are remarkable, and the very way businesses operate is constantly being updated in proportion to these advancements. However, we believe that our strength lies in providing "support by professional personnel" who stand by our clients, share their struggles, and move forward together with them as they face the complex challenge of decarbonization, a challenge for which there is no easy answer. This is the kind of support that many companies need.
In the midst of the remarkable advancements in AI, this kind of "human-led collaboration" might seem inefficient. However, in a world where there are no easy answers and system design is being developed and refined in parallel, we believe it's important to work alongside our customers. Furthermore, we want to constantly strive to provide essential value to society and our customers, rather than simply focusing on short-term sales.

■Things I want to tell today's university students

Looking back on my career so far, I feel like there haven't really been any "hardships." That's because, even though things were difficult at the time, I believe they were all necessary experiences that led me to where I am today.
The business world is clearly entering a new era. The era of shareholder capitalism, where "making money is all that matters," is coming to an end, and the world is shifting dramatically towards "stakeholder capitalism," which involves giving back value to all stakeholders, including clients, employees, local communities, and even the global environment itself. In this new era, more important than qualifications or titles is having a high level of ambition and taking action yourself. And it's about having the passion to share your true feelings and genuine commitment with those around you and to draw people in.
For those of you about to enter the workforce, I would like you to keep in mind the concept of the "double bottom line" (balancing economic profit and social return). Until now, "business profit" and "social contribution" have often been discussed as a trade-off where you could only choose one or the other. However, in the coming era, the very reason for a company's existence will be to create "stakeholder capitalism," which balances both at a high level.
In this era where there are no easy answers, I hope that you all will believe in your own aspirations and become individuals who bring about positive change in society with passion.

Interview with Sena Yamahata, 2nd year student at Musashino Art University, published in Student Newspaper Online on May 26, 2026.

Sena Yamahata (2nd year, Musashino Art University) / Chiharu Yamada (2nd year, Information Management Innovation Professional University) / Kisei Ishii (2nd year, Musashino Art University) / Mayuna Yoshimatsu (4th year, Musashino University)